Some of My Recent Adventures

Me on the beach at sunrise

After FGS finished, my friends/co-workers Anna and Crista joined me on a few adventures around the Philly area.

Sunday morning we woke up and left the hotel in Philly at dark o'clock and drove to Long Beach Island, New Jersey to watch the sunrise. Even though I was completely exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open (and I was driving!), I am grateful that we did it. The end result was simply breathtaking! Watching sunrise on the beach was worth every minute of exhaustion.

The Italian Stallion...and me!

A trip to Philly would not be complete without visiting the famous Rocky Steps (aka the steps of the Art Museum) and the statue of Rocky Balboa himself.

Remember the wise words of Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV: "If I's can change, and you's can change, EVERYBODY can change!" Amen.

70,000 Frequent Flyer Miles... and Still No Place to Rest My Head

I'm on the road...again. This time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One would think that I'd get used to all of this travelling, but I never do. Even though I'm a more efficient packer and have my get-on-the-plane rituals (curbside check-in is a dream!), I still get anxious about leaving again and still can't sleep once I get to my (very posh) hotel room.

Case in point: It's 12:32am here in Philadelphia and I can't seem to fall asleep. I've checked my email 10 times already and could certainly keep working... but I just want to go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day of setting up the booth at the Pennsylvania Convention Hall (thankfully the convention hall is within walking distance this time) and then the genealogy conference starts tomorrow night at 6:30pm and runs through Saturday evening. It's going to be a long week....

So, if you ever think that business trips are glamorous, think about this: My job takes me all over the country, but all I usually see are 1) the airport; 2) my hotel room for brief periods of time; 3) the convention hall; and 4) whatever restaurant we decide to eat at late at night after the exhibit hall closes for the night. Once in a while, I'll get to catch a historic monument or something like that; however, mostly I never get to actually see the city I'm in, which is kind of a shame. I really love to explore and travel; I just don't get to do that with my job. I fly in to set up, stay for the duration of the conference, and then I'm off to my next "adventure" in another city.

Maybe some day I'll be able to come back and visit all of the cities I've only seen through the windows of my hotel room / the convention center...?